The present invention relates to radial jet nozzles, apparatus employing one or more radial jet nozzles to improve heat transfer, and a method of heat transfer employing radial jet nozzles.
Numerous applications require cooling or reducing the temperature of a subject body in order to provide protection, increased reliability, or to maintain the subject body within a desired temperature range. In order to transfer heat from a subject body, a heat transfer medium, typically liquid or gaseous is used to remove heat from the subject body and transport it way from the subject body thereby reducing the subject body temperature or maintaining the subject body within a desired temperature range. A prior art heat transfer device may blow air in a generally uniform directional flow across a subject body in order entrain heat and transport it away from the subject body. Another variation of this type of heat transfer device is to surround the subject body with a fluid which, depending upon the fluid used, may improve the heat transfer.
As mentioned, prior art heat transfer devices typically blow air or move a liquid across a target surface of the subject body in a generally uniform direction. Uniform flow across the target surface of the subject body may be somewhat inefficient since the heat transfer capacity of the heat transfer medium is not saturated with heat energy as it passes across the target surface. In this regard, the energy spent moving the heat transfer medium may not be optimized since the maximum heat carrying capacity of the heat transfer medium is not fully exploited.
As an additional concern, prior art heat transfer devices often may damage or degrade the target surface of the subject body to be cooled. When the uniform heat transfer medium flow is imposed across the target surface, it may tend to damage the target surface. This problem, of course, is a function of the material of the target surface and the type of heat transfer medium employed. The problem, however, is exacerbated when impinging air flow or fluid flow is used. The impinging heat transfer medium flow is forced against or driven against the target surface. Depending on the force of this heat transfer medium flow, the target surface may be damaged. Therefore, it will be desirable to provide a heat transfer device which does not produce any detrimental effects on the target surface to be cooled.
As an additional consideration, prior art heat transfer devices, employing an impinging flow, tend to create or set up vibrational forces in the subject body. The impinging flow tends to drive or vibrate the surface which it initially contacts. This problem is exacerbated if there is any type of pulsation to the flow thereby magnifying the vibrational effects. Such vibrational forces may reduce the reliability of the overall heat transfer device as well as the subject body and its components.